Harry Potter and the Friendship of the Ring
by SuperBear
Summary: When Voldemort and Sauron combine Hogwarts with Middle-Earth, Harry Potter and his friends accompany Frodo and Sam to Mount Doom to destroy the ring. This will return their two worlds to normal. Or at least as normal as such places get.


"No, I still don't get it," Ron Weasley said with his usual look of confusion.

"Ron, please," Harry Potter said with a sigh.

"It's quite simple really." Hermione Grainger had the unique ability to speak in an imperious know-it-all tone while still managing to sound somewhat agreeable and likable.

At the moment, she sounded like a Middle-Earth tour guide. Or more correctly, a Middle-Earth/Hogwarts tour guide.

"When Voldemort tapped into a powerful magic that brought him to Middle-Earth, he and Sauron combined their powers to cause two timelines to intertwine." Here, she held up an instructive index finger. "One, a timeline in which Harry and all of us go to Hogwarts. And another in which Frodo and Sam go on their quest to Mount Doom." She waved the finger up and down for emphasis.

Next to Hermione was Samwise Gangee. Or "Samwise the Great," as Frodo and others in the fellowship sometimes called him. Or simply Sam.

Simply Sam simply frowned as he shook his head. "Don't feel bad, Master Ron. I don't understand it entirely either."

Undaunted, Hermione pressed on. "Sauron and Voldemort had us under a kind of mind control in which we thought we'd always lived in Middle-Earth."

"And as I recall, you avoided hobbits," Sam said, though not pointedly.

"Even though Hogwarts was near the Shire," Frodo Baggins said, a bit more pointed. Like Gandalf above him, Frodo held a walking stick. Though it was actually a remote control for his travel-globe.

"It's sad but true," Hermione said quietly. "But in our defense we were under the mental influence of Voldemort and Sauron."

"But we did finally wake up," Ron said. "Thanks to Hagrid. He was the first one to break free and then he helped the rest of us remember who we really were."

At the moment, Hagrid was covering his mouth as he yawned noisily.

From his travel-globe, Ron reached out to pat him. As the globes merged at that point, there was a noise like a squeaky balloon rapidly losing air.

"Good work, Hagrid," Ron said loudly over the noise.

"Thank you, Master Ron," the bearded one said. Or more like demurred. Like he was apologizing for something.

"You're probably just tired," Ron concluded aloud, and loudly.

Now Harry spoke up. "The important thing is we all became friends. Despite Voldemort and Sauron."

"And despite Hogwarts being a school for reformed children," Ron said.

"Where we managed to learn magic anyway," Hermione said proudly.

"A kind of weird magic," Ron said.

"Which we need on this quest," Frodo said, glancing around nervously.

"Even at the end," Sam said with a look of worry and gloom.

"Especially at the end," Gandalf said, more matter-of-fact than gloomy.

"Don't worry. Once we destroy the ring, everything goes back to normal," Hermione said with a note of cheery triumphalism.

"Hogwarts will be hobbit-free and the Shire Hogwarts-free," Hagrid said. "We won't even remember any of this. Though how that works I don't know."

"That's what's really confusing," Sam said. "Once all this goes away, we go back to our own lives, without each other."

"Not even a memory of each other," Frodo said sadly.

"I shall attempt to explain, little ones," Gandalf said. "Sauron's power is in the ring, Voldemort needs Sauron to sustain all this, and so destroying the ring not only destroys Sauron but this entire new reality. When that happens, time is, in a sense, reversed and reset, everything set right as it should be. All this is gone."

From inside his floating portal, Gandalf gestured to the surrounding area. A portal allowed one to be in two places at once. While Gandalf's portal floated along with the fellowship, he was also physically present with an army of elves, men and Hogwarts students, all of whom waited on the invading masses of Orcs combined with Voldemort's magical allies.

"Destroy the ring, destroy Sauron, destroy all this. It will be as if it never happened."

Hermione smiled and gave an approving nod. "I couldn't have said it better myself, Gandalf."

With raised eyebrows, Gandalf offered his broadest smile. "Indeed? That is praise of the highest order, Miss Grainger."

"You bet it is," Ron said. Hermione made a face at him.

"And once we destroy the ring, Voldemort will never be able to try this trick again," Harry said.

"Quite right, Mister Potter," Gandalf said. "With this particular magic, time-magic, the same two timelines cannot be combined twice."

"Ah," Ron said. "Kind of like one of those time-travel stories where they can't go back to the same moment twice."

"That is a rough analogy, Mister Weasley."

"I don't think it's a very good analogy at all," Hermione sniffed.

"You wouldn't," Ron said drily.

"Are you two married?" Sam asked.

"No!" they both said. Then Ron said, "The important thing is destroying the ring will make all this go away. I'm all for that."

"I think we all are, Master Ron," Sam said.

"Sure are," Hagrid said then glanced around nervously as he cleared his throat.

"Well, I shall miss it in a way," Hermione said.

"WHAT?" Ron, Harry and the hobbits all said at once, with Ron adding, "Are you daft?"

With a grin, Hermione shrugged sweetly. "It's just that I always saw the fireworks over the Shire from a distance and through the bars on my window. It would have been nice to see the big dragon firework with some hobbit friends. No bars. No barriers."

When Hermione smiled at Frodo and Sam, the two beamed back at her.

"That would have been very nice indeed, Miss Hermione," Sam said quietly.

"You don't always have to be so formal, you know. 'Miss That.' "Master That.'"

"Hush, Ron. It's nice that some can be gentlemen."

"Be they hobbits or Hogwarts students," Gandalf said.

"I'll tell you two who aren't gentlemen," Sam said angrily. "Voldemort and Sauron. We tried to be friends with the students at Hogwarts. But every time we did those two would cause something or other to get in the way."

Frodo looked apologetic. "Some, like my Uncle Bilbo, thought you'd destroy our peace and quiet."

To gesture to their surroundings, Ron spread out both arms.

"How do you like this for peace and quiet then?"

They all laughed. It was just your typical fun conversation between hobbits and Hogwarts students as they traversed the lava-covered side of Mount Doom in their green glowing travel-globes.

"I'm just glad we finally became friends after all," Frodo said with a gentle smile.

"Us, too," Harry said. Ron and Hermione smiled but Hagrid looked somber.

It was then Gollum let his travel-globe merge with that of Harry Potter. This created a loud noise like that of brief flatulence. As the others tittered, Gollum embraced Harry's left leg and looked up with large adoring dark eyes.

"Gollum love Harry Potter," he purred.

"Oh, look. I think he likes you," Ron said.

"That's fairly obvious," Hermione said.

Undeterred, Gollum went on in his squeaky voice. "Thank you for helping me, Harry Potter."

"You're welcome," Harry said with a little laugh in his voice. "Now please let go,"

As Gollum reverted back to his own travel-globe, there was a loud popping noise. Then Gollum held up both his tiny hands.

"Thank you to all of you for being so kind to Gollum."

The creature known as Gollum was once a simple respectable hobbit, much like Frodo or Sam, but he had since been transformed by the power of the One Ring. Besides an eerie raspy voice, he had only a few tufts of hair on his bald head.

Thankfully, he had since been transformed, inside and out, by another kind of power. In place of his loin cloth, he wore a simple suit patched together from various Hogwarts uniforms. In that simple uniform, he walked upright. Mostly upright, anyway. And, spontaneous leg hugs notwithstanding, he was mostly sane.

"It's all right, Gollum," Ron said. "You're not really such a bad fellow."

"Once we got to know you." Hermione reached out to gently pet Gollum's head, and with each stroke, the once-hobbit arched his neck much as a cat would.

"You are all so kind," Gollum said in a croaking voice with his eyes half-open. "Gollum is grateful."

A few paces behind, Sam whispered to his hobbit friend.

"I have to say, Master Frodo, I feel bad about the rotten way I treated the poor fellow." He gestured to Hermione petting Gollum. "Look at the effect the children have had on him. They helped him overcome the influence of the ring. Look at how different he is. Beyond just the new clothes, I mean."

Frodo smiled and nodded. "They've helped me, too, Sam," he said in his earnest quiet voice. "Without them, I think the power of the ring would have changed me in some terrible ways."

As his portal floated above them, Gandalf smiled down on them. "Dare I say it? Perhaps the greatest power of all is the power of friendship and kindness."

With a confused look etched on his bearded face, Hagrid formed a "V" with two fingers. "Begging your pardon there, Gandalf, but isn't that actually two kinds of power?".

Gandalf wrinkled his face with a broad grin. "Perhaps so, Mister Hagrid. The point remains much the same."

Sam shook his head. "I don't see how we'll do this without the children."

"We aren't actually children," Hermione said.

"Of course. Begging your pardon, Miss Hermione."

Hermione referred to how she and other Hogwarts students had spent many years in Middle-Earth but Voldemort and Sauron had given them the appearance of children. Something that irritated Hermione no end.

Again, Sam shook his head. "What I'm saying is when we have to do this quest again, it won't be easy."

"It will be rough for the two of you." Once the words were out, Ron covered his mouth. "Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt."

"Or eavesdrop," Hermione said pointedly.

"And I didn't mean to be so negative," Ron said.

"Yet you're so good at it," Hermione said.

Frodo smiled. "It's all right, Ron. It's hard not to be negative in a situation like this."

"At least we have the New Magic to help us," Harry said.

When Voldemort and Sauron created this combined new world, this awful amalgam, new forms of magic were also created. Besides the travel-globes, the "children" could wield energy blasts from magic shields. There were also image-globes that recorded and displayed images from the past.

Although Voldemort and Sauron had some control over the new realm they had created, they could not stop anyone who wanted to access the New Magic. (Discourage them, yes; stop them, no.) It was one of the rules. Like the rule you couldn't combine the same two timelines twice.

Harry knew what that meant: Voldemort and Sauron would try to stop them at Mount Doom. He arrived at this conclusion even as he navigated both his travel-globe and that of Gollum. Though protected from heat and lava, Harry was not immune to fatigue and stress. For that reason, he felt extremely tired, so much so that he blinked sleepy eyes even while standing upright.

The tiredness could be mainly from stress. Earlier, they had survived an onslaught by Orcs. Though the snarling gray-faced creatures couldn't penetrate the group's magic shields and their energy blasts knocked the Orcs' helmets off, it was still frightening to have the Orcs' scarred twisted visages up against the fellowship's travel-globe surfaces.

Ron spent most of that attack all wide-eyed with his mouth open and palms pressed up against his shielded globe. (Of course, palms up was how one created a protective shield.) But it was possible Ron was still stressed from a combined attack by sin-eaters and Nazgul. Fortunately, an army of Hogwarts teachers and globe-covered Ents drove off the Orcs before Ron became catatonic.

Glancing at his new friends, Harry thought how this was a long way from the comfortable existence of a hobbit. Earlier, while looking into an image-globe, Harry saw Gollum go from an ordinary hobbit lounging by the fireplace in his cozy hole-hearth, to a creature running around in the rain in a loin cloth. It was one reason Harry took such pity on the poor fellow.

Harry was brought back to the present when he heard the two hobbits whisper to each other.

"What's going to happen when we do this on our own?" Sam asked. "We won't even remember Harry and the others."

Frodo shrugged. "Maybe we'll think of a happier better place. Better times maybe." Even in this dark place, the hobbit's mirthful eyes seemed to shine. "Maybe you could carry me part of the way."

"Not the same as a travel-globe but I'll do what I can," Sam chuckled. When he flexed his biceps, the others laughed. "I may not be able to carry it but I can carry you!" he shouted triumphantly to more joyous laughter.

Once the laughter died, Sam gave his friend a serious look.

"My apologies, Master Frodo, for being so negative and pessimistic earlier."

Frodo reached out his hand. At the noise, the "children" tittered.

"It's all right, Sam. I'm glad you're here with me now. I'm glad you'll be with me next time around."

"Still, I shouldn't let him, that one, get to me." Sam nodded to images in the dark sky above.

Earlier, Voldmort tried to discourage the hobbits by showing them the trials they would endure on their quest if the two worlds separated. Even now, the images Voldemort showed them flickered in the dark sky above them, as they had since Voldemort haunted the hobbits.

Sam could still hear the voice of the evil one in his head.

Just leave things as they are, Voldemort urged, doing his best to sound friendly, concerned and helpful. This is so much easier.

"I was never fooled by that trickster," Sam spat. "And he can't get to me now."

"I know, Sam," Frodo said quietly.

"And I shouldn't have been so negative earlier. You don't need that." Ron pointed to the images above. "Not with all that up there."

"For the record, none of us need negativity," Hermione said.

"True enough," Ron said. "Sorry."

"It's all right, Ron."

"Thanks, Frodo. You're very understanding." Ron looked around at the others. "I've always said that Frodo is a very understanding fellow. Haven't I, Harry?"

"Yes, Ron."

Young master Weasley adopted his most earnest, serious look. "A lot of people have heard me say that. Aragorn has heard me say it. The Ents and the elves have heard me say it. And you, Gandalf. You've heard me say it, haven't you?"

"Yes, Mister Weasley," Gandalf sighed.

"Master Frodo has his good qualities," Sam agreed. "But what's causing all this negativity and pessimism? Probably Voldemort and Sauron."

"Even when we're so near the end." With eyes full of fear, Frodo fingered the ring on his necklace.

"Voldemorts is nasty," Gollum croaked.

"He's a rotter, all right," Ron said.

"Sauron is also a 'rotter,'" Gandalf said.

"To say the least," Hermione said. Next to her, a silent Harry looked glum. "Let's try to be positive, shall we?"

Despite Hermione's admonishment, Harry thought of all they'd been through. There was waking up to memories of their old lives while being held prisoner in Hogwarts. After that followed encounters with Orcs and other strange creatures.

At one point, Professor Snape killed a cancer-stricken Dumbledore to convince Sauron he was a true ally. This allowed Snape to feed information to the fellowship that helped them on their quest. In one case, they avoided an encounter with a very large Orc army.

Here they were now. Once they tossed the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom, all that Voldemort and Sauron had done to combine the two worlds would be undone. It would be forgotten.

Just as Harry thought this, the travel-globes stopped just inside a cave entrance with a bright orange glow. Below were the fires of Mount Doom.

"We're here," Harry said or perhaps gulped.

"We are indeed, Mister Potter." As Gandalf spoke in a solemn tone, Harry thought how grateful he was that the white wizard had become a kind of substitute for Dumbledore during this very difficult time.

"Let us do this thing quickly. Before..." As he trailed off, Gandalf looked about anxiously.

"Which one of us shall actually throw it in?" Frodo asked or perhaps stammered as he clutched the ring.

"Let me do it," Hagrid said, perhaps a little too calm. "I'm the closest after all."

A trembling Frodo held out the ring. Quickly, Hagrid snatched it up. As he held the ring out, Hagrid kept his gaze on it. The expression on his bushy-bearded face darkened.

"The ring is mine!" he shouted in an eerie deep reverberating voice.

"Hagrid, no!" Frodo shouted.

"Oh, no," Harry said.

"Not good," Ron said, shaking his head and backing away.

"Not good at all, oof!" Sam said as Ron backed into him.

"MY PRECIOUS!" Hagrid shouted. "THIS IS MY PRECIOUS!"

"But this doesn't make sense," Hermione objected. "Frodo carried the ring for much longer than Hagrid did."

"It's true." A wide-eyed Frodo wore a pained confused look. "Why would he change this much this fast?"

While all this went on, Hagrid caressed the ring and gazed at it while he mumbled to himself.

"It's not just the power of the ring," Gandalf declared solemnly. "It's also the combined influence of Voldemort and Sauron."

"How right you are, my dear Gandalf."

The moment Voldemort spoke, the magic-wielders in the group reacted. As energy-blasts shot out from shields, Voldemort and Sauron shot out their own energy blasts which quickly cracked open the travel-globes of the hobbits.

"Frodo, Sam, get behind me!" As Hermione shouted her orders, the hobbits promptly obeyed but still had energy whizzing close to their ears.

The energy blasts could not only move portals but also dislodge those inside the portals. This meant Gandalf was in danger should his concentration fail. A very real danger for everyone when they were all so tired.

This barrage of energy did not last long. For whatever reason, it just stopped.

All the members of the fellowship just stood there, seemingly in a daze. As they did, their shields began to fade.

Above them, near the glowing orange cavern ceiling, was the snake-faced Voldemort floating in a glowing silver portal. Next to him, floating in its own portal, was the giant eye of Sauron.

As he narrowed his eyes, Voldemort pointed a long sharp finger at Hagrid.

"Mister Hagrid, would you be so good as to destroy Harry Potter and his friends?"

"Hagrid, don't do it!" Harry shouted, pleaded.

Thankfully, Hagrid just stood there. But so did the others. And they were visibly sweating, even Gandalf. Especially Gandalf.

"The mental influence of Voldemort and Sauron...stays with us...inhibits us," he gasped.

Above him, Voldemort crossed his arms as he smirked.

"We do what we discussed earlier," Harry whispered.

"Yes. We think about positive things," Hermione said.

"But what?" Ron asked.

It took Sam only a moment. "Our friendship with each other!" he shouted.

They looked at each other and smiled then the magic-wielders began firing blasts from their shields once again.

In response, Voldemort fired blasts from his hands while Sauron shot multiple beams out of his eyes. Those beams, much like lasers, shattered rocks and the cracked empty travel-globes that once encased the hobbits. The beams also came dangerously close to the hobbits themselves but Ron started firing blasts at the eye of Sauron, diverting his attention away.

While the shields of the fellowship glowed with greater intensity, those of Voldemort and Sauron began to lose their light.

Through all this, Hagrid just stood there pointing his wand while looking dazed and wide-eyed, his mouth agape. And he started shaking.

While energy flew all around him, Sam made another realization.

"Their shields are down!" he shouted. "We may not have magic but there's something we can do!" 

Sam picked up some rocks. Then reaching just outside the range of Hermione's shield, he threw those rocks at Voldemort. From the opposite side, Frodo made Sauron his target.

"Ow," Voldemort said, flinching and drawing his head back each time a rock hit him. It was an amusing sight to see such a powerful arrogant figure react in that way.

"Keep it up, guys!" Ron enthused. "That'll distract them, break their concentration!"

"While we blast them out of their portals," Harry shouted.

A rock by Frodo hit its target. As the giant eye of Sauron blinked, there was a sound like a bat squealing.

"Wait!" Sam realized. "There's something else we can do."

"Hagrid!" he shouted as he cupped his hand over his mouth. "Remember who you are! Remember your friendship with the children!"

"We're not children!" Hermione shouted.

"Hagrid!" Voldemort said in a reprimanding tone. "Remember what they did to you!"

Hagrid turned and looked at his friends then at Voldemort. As he did, he got an angry look on his face. With that hideous look, he lifted his wand.

"NO!" Gollum formed tiny fists as he glared up at Hagrid. "YOU WILL NOT HARM THE CHILDRENSES!"

Gollum leaped through the air and bounced off Hagrid's wrist, knocking his wand into the fires below. For a moment, Hagrid growled then he looked dazed and confused once again.

"I think he's fighting it!" Frodo enthused.

"Yes! Keep fighting it, Hagrid!" Sam cheered.

Gollum was atop Hagrid's head delivering a barrage of punches with his tiny furious fists, angrily screeching as he did.

But then Hagrid turned invisible so that all that was seen was Gollum moving back and forth in midair, screeching and screaming all the while.

"Wait!" Frodo cried. "I just thought of something." From a backpack, he produced an image-globe. "The elf queen gave me this. She said I'd know when to use it. It's now."

"Voldemort and Sauron...must have...interfered with your memory," Hermione said in a groaning voice full of effort. She had sweat on her forehead and a pained look on her face. The shield in front of her was starting to crack and fade.

"Do it, Master Frodo!" Sam urged.

With both hands, Frodo held up the globe until it glowed bright yellow and images poured out, dancing on the cave walls. They were images of Hagrid, scenes from his recent life. Scenes of friendship with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Scenes of friendship with Sam and Frodo.

From inside Gandalf's portal, the Hogwarts students waved their wands, sending out what looked like lightning bolts mixed with sparkles. The bolts pounded away at the portals of Voldemort and Sauron. As the portals rocked back and forth, the accompanying thunder was almost deafening.

And Hagrid roared loudly, and long. Then he reappeared. The giant one clutched his head and panted.

Then, holding the ring in his right thumb and forefinger, he stared at the images all around him. All the while, Gollum continued to swat Hagrid's hairy head, still squealing in shrill tones.

"Gollum, stop," Hagrid said in an irritated tone as he flinched. "It's all right. I'm back. I'm back to being me."

To prove his point, he threw the ring. Voldemort was too busy being rocked back and forth to react. Meanwhile, those in the fellowship cheered. Only briefly. The cheer was cut short when the ring hung still in midair, out of the reach of any in the fellowship.

"And there it shall stay," Voldemort declared in his usual haughty tone. "Thanks to the spell I put on it earlier. I never had to fear your pitiful little quest. You were always doomed to fail. Failed you have. And very soon your memories of this quest will fade. And you will be slaves once again."

As Voldemort spoke, Gollum's facial expression became more and more angry as he wheezed furiously at the feet of Hagrid.

Hagrid held out his hand. "Gollum. To me, here."

Gollum propelled himself into Hagrid's hand, and Hagrid threw him like a football.

"Go get 'im, Gollum!"

"NASTY LITTLE VOLDEMORTS!" Gollum screamed. "YOU WILL NOT HARM THE CHILDRENSES!"

Obviously too busy being smug to protect himself, and not seeing any real threat, Voldemort suddenly found Gollum on his head. The snake-faced one uttered a noise like a deep "oof" or perhaps "ugh." As he did, he dropped his wand and it fell toward the fires below. At first, he tried to snatch it back but as he extended his hand he got zapped in the wrist.

"Ha! Got you!" Ron exclaimed.

Bolting upright, Voldemort waved his arms wildly in an attempt to grab Gollum, who had one arm around Voldemort's neck while using the other to punch his back. He also somehow succeeded in kicking Voldemort's back.

"Get off me, you wretched little creature!" Voldemort growled. Of course, his growling would have been more terrifying if it didn't have such a strangled choked quality to it.

Still wearing his look of fury, Gollum wrapped both arms around Voldemort's head and squeezed, screaming loudly as he did.

This apparently caused Voldemort to lose control of his portal, evidenced by the way Voldemort waved his arms for balance. Voldemort's portal collided with that of Sauron, so that the great eye of Sauron hung outside the portal. Not only that, but Voldemort himself, all bent over, hung outside his portal in a most precarious position. The flames eagerly reached up to both of them.

"EVIL AWFUL VOLDEY!"

Screeching loudly and wildly, Gollum rained down multiple kicks on Voldemort's back, almost as if he were doing a violent tap-dance. "Voldey" wheezed and grunted and roared, seemingly unable to even catch his breath. The wheezing and roaring turned to fierce gargled growling as Gollum once again grabbed Voldey's neck and kicked his back. All the while, the "children" and Gandalf were pounding away at the portal with their energy blasts. That portal, along with Voldemort, moved closer to the fire.

"Gollum! Get out of there!" Harry shouted.

"GET OFF ME!" Voldemort roared, but still with a little strangled quality to it. Making one last attempt to grab Gollum, Voldemort lost his balance and fell out of the portal. Wearing a look of pure shock as he twisted around to face his diminuitive enemy, Voldemort inadvertently raised his hands and magic energy shot out. This energy struck the eye of Sauron which fell away from its portal. The two figures plunged into the fires below, and their two portals followed in short order. Which meant somewhere their evil armies were being extinguished by the inexhaustible flames of Mount Doom.

"Gollum!" Hagrid shouted, reaching out a giant hand.

But it was all right. Gollum had already propelled himself off Voldemort's back and now hung from the edge of the cliff where the fellowship was positioned. Once he pulled himself up, Gollum somersaulted through the air to land between Hagrid and Ron.

"Ta-da!" he sang, stretching out both arms.

As the others laughed, Hermione gave him a quick hug.

"You're a regular acrobat, you are," Ron said in a relieved appreciative tone. And he gave Gollum a pat on the head.

Arching his neck, Gollum turned to his giant friend.

"Hagrids is all right, yes?"

Hands on hips, Hagrid stood up straight. "I am indeed, Gollum. Thanks to you and our fine hobbit friends."

Hagrid beamed down at Sam and Frodo, both of whom smiled back with Sam looking bashful while shifting uncomfortably.

"It's poetic when you think about it," Hermione said with a little laugh in her voice. "We saved Gollum, and Gollum saved us."

"He's a regular Ewok," Ron said.

"E-what?" Sam said.

"Ewok," Ron said. "We'll watch it some time."

"Oh, yes," Sam said. "That 'Star Wars' thing you were talking about. Though I still don't understand what a 'movie' is."

"It's like an image globe," Ron said. A moment later, Ron's grin drooped as he glanced up at the floating ring.

"We need to get that ring moving," Hermione said in a quiet sad voice.

For a moment, Sam looked sad but then he smiled. "Let's not forget this. The mighty powerful Voldemort was taken down by Gollum the Great!"

As Sam raised a triumphant fist, Frodo laughed heartily while Gollum threw his head back and engaged in high-pitched snickering.

"Yes, Gollum the Great!" Harry exclaimed in a voice full of laughter. "He's saved all of Middle-Earth!"

"Not to mention Hogwarts!" Gandalf said in a boisterous voice full of cheer.

Smiling up at his friends, Gollum blinked his big dark eyes.

But the ring still hung in midair. Gandalf studied it with a grave look, stroking his white beard and muttering "hmm."

While all that seriousness went on, Hagrid bowed his head and murmured, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Hermione asked.

"For lettin' those two get to me, lettin' 'em take control of me the way they did." Hagrid's tone was almost morose. "During our quest, I kept thinking about how at Hogwarts I was reduced to nothing. It must have been all that anger and self-pity that allowed Voldemort and Sauron to get a hold of me and take me over the way they did."

"Ah, don't be so hard on yourself, Hagrid," Ron said.

"It's all right now," Harry said.

"The important thing is that you fought it," Hermione said.

Gandalf spoke in a quiet solemn tone but somehow it rose above the roar of the fire.

"Anger. Self-pity. You are not the only one to feel such things, Mister Hagrid." The wizard continued to study the ring.

"Gandalf's right," Sam said. "You're not alone, Hagrid."

"We're with you," Harry said.

"All of us," Frodo said.

"The important thing is you came back," Hermione said softly.

"You broke free," Ron said. "Just like before."

With a glum look, Hagrid shook his head. "I broke free because you distracted them."

"No, Hagrid," Harry insisted gently. "It was you. The type of person you are."

"It's true." Sam looked up at the giant one with his most sincere serious look. "I've not known you very long, Mister Hagrid. But I have to agree with young Master Potter. You have great strength of character."

"We've seen it," Frodo said.

"Hagrid the Great!" Gollum shouted as he waved tiny triumphant fists. Everyone laughed.

"Gollum has a point," Harry said in his most cheerful voice. "Think of it: Hagrid overcame the power of Voldemort and Sauron and the ring."

"More than once," Hermione said.

"Way to go, Hagrid!" Ron shouted/cheered.

While Gollum squealed joyfully and did a little dance, the others murmured their admiration. Amidst all this, Hagrid considered for a moment. Then his cheeks bubbled up as he smiled.

"Let's just chalk it up to the power of friendship, shall we?"

"Let's," Ron said.

"I'll drink to that," Sam said, lifting an imaginary mug.

"Once we're back in the Shire," Frodo said with a laugh.

Sam put his arm around Gollum. "With our good friend Gollum, of course. The great hero!"

Again, they all laughed.

Ron then turned to the wizard. "So, Gandalf, what about that ring just hanging there then?"

Gandalf nodded authoritatively. "I believe there is a solution, my dear Mister Weasley."

"Pray tell," Hermione said.

"Voldemort and Sauron used their last act of magic to freeze the ring in time."

"Time magic again," Ron groaned.

"Your favorite," Harry said with a teasing grin.

"Of course you had magic in place to keep them from simply moving the ring to them," Hermione noted.

"Quite so," Gandalf said. "Now here it is frozen."

"Can we unfreeze it?" Frodo asked.

"I believe so, my dear Frodo. If we all combine our magic, we can cause the ring to move into the fire below, albeit at a slow pace."

The wizard gave his friends a sly glance. "Of course, it would help if we had a lot of good cheer while we wield our magic. Do you think you can manage some good cheer, little ones?"

They all looked at each other and smiled, then the "children" pulled out their wands and whispered the appropriate words. As they pointed their wands and directed them downward, the ring began to slowly descend.

With his forehead all wrinkled up, Ron glanced at the hobbits. "So, guys. Sorry we won't be able to share a chocolate frog in the Shire."

"I'm sorry, too, Master Ron," Sam said. "But I'm glad we won't be having any of those jelly beans that taste like ear wax."

"Or vomit," Frodo said.

"Those are the worst." Hermione scrunched up her face, and she, Sam and Frodo all stuck out their tongues at once.

More laughter followed, and the ring began to fall faster, twirling and sparkling along the way.

"And no Quidditch!" Sam insisted in a loud hearty voice. "A nice quiet peaceful life for me once we're really done with all this!"

"Enjoy that, Sam," Harry said.

"I'd still like to see some fireworks with some hobbit friends," Hermione said softly, sadly.

They all fell into a sad silence, and the ring stood still.

"Ah, now you've ruined it," Ron said.

"Sorry," she murmured.

"It's all right," Sam said. "Once the ring goes into the fire, it'll be like none of this ever happened."

"That brings up a question," Hagrid said. "If none of this ever happened, how is it that we did it?"

Ron shook his head. "When it comes to time-magic, I try not to think about it too much, Hagrid."

"In any case, don't worry," Harry said quietly. "We're going to be all right, you know."

"Harry's right," Hagrid said. "If we can have a cheerful conversation in a gloomy place like this, we'll be all right for sure."

"So it shall be," Gandalf said.

"LET IT BE!" Gollum chirped loudly as he stretched his neck up then did another little dance.

They all laughed once again, and the talk and the laughter went on until the ring was consumed by the flames.


End file.
